


beautiful stranger

by SmileHoney



Series: you, me, my whole world (zukka week 2021) [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Zukka Week 2021, azula and iroh are the biggest zukka warriors and you cant change my mind, i think im funny and thats all that matters, rated t because sokka drops an f bomb once, some truly embarrassing puns and jokes here too, this is such a fast burn idek what to say about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 14:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30090210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmileHoney/pseuds/SmileHoney
Summary: But because this was the worst week ever, when he got to the Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop the day before his biggest midterm exam, there was someone sitting in his spot. Usually, he would be able to adjust and wouldn’t make a big deal of it. Usually, he’d be a little bit annoyed that his schedule was thrown off, but he’d be okay.But after a week where his schedule had been thrown off everyday, the sight of shaggy dark brown hair bent over a book and a figure dwarfed by a black hoodie sitting in his spot was too much to handle.He strode over with his fists clenched and snapped, “Hey. You’re in my spot.”“It’s a tea shop, not a classroom. No one has assigned seats.”or,It's been a rough week, and now there's someone in Sokka's spot in the Jasmine Dragon tea shop. Except that someone is a very beautiful stranger, and suddenly Sokka has a crush.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: you, me, my whole world (zukka week 2021) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2211711
Comments: 14
Kudos: 176





	beautiful stranger

**Author's Note:**

> i wasn't going to write anything for today, but then i woke up with this idea, so here we are... zukka week day three, for the prompt of tea/coffee shop au
> 
> hope you enjoy!!!!!
> 
> title from finally // beautiful stranger by halsey

It had been the longest week of Sokka’s life. 

Midterms were that week, which meant he’d been up ridiculously late every night, poring over scribbled notes and calculations and textbooks until his eyes were strained and his head pounded. He felt like the words were swimming in front of him every time he opened any of his projects, but still he kept going, knowing his degrees in mechanical engineering and physics weren’t going to earn themselves. 

Then his normal train route to Ba Sing Se University was under construction, which meant he had to find a different route to campus. There was only one other option, so at least the choice was easy, but it involved two transfers and ended up adding an additional thirty minutes to his commute. Which, with an already skewed sleep schedule- even when it wasn’t midterm week- meant exhaustion was tugging at his bones every time he moved. 

And there was the matter of Katara coming down with a cold bad enough that even her healing couldn’t fix it, so every free second he had was spent worrying about her and shooting off text messages to make sure that she was okay. Yes, she was an adult. Yes, she was a medical student and a master healer who knew exactly how to take care of herself. Yes, he was still worried. 

And then, to make everything worse, the library was closed for renovations, which meant his normal study spot was no longer available. So instead of peace and quiet and the comforting smell of old books and scrolls, he had to find somewhere else- that somewhere else being the Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop, with soft chatter and the encompassing smell of tea and fresh baked pastries. 

He didn’t necessarily mind studying there, especially because the owner, Iroh, always gave him a cheerful greeting and made the best tea in all of Ba Sing Se. The shop still managed to be quiet, filled with other students cramming just like he was, and when he put in his headphones he could almost pretend he was in the library. And, the spot he’d claimed as his own- the king table in the very far corner of the shop- had enough room for all of his blueprints and textbooks, which was the main criteria for a good study space. 

But because this was the worst week ever, when he got to the Jasmine Dragon Tea Shop the day before his biggest midterm exam, there was someone sitting in his spot. Usually, he would be able to adjust and wouldn’t make a big deal of it. Usually, he’d be a little bit annoyed that his schedule was thrown off, but he’d be okay. 

But after a week where his schedule had been thrown off everyday, the sight of shaggy dark brown hair bent over a book and a figure dwarfed by a black hoodie sitting in his spot was too much to handle. 

He strode over with his fists clenched and snapped, “Hey. You’re in my spot.”

“It’s a tea shop, not a classroom. No one has assigned seats,” came a dry response, the voice low and raspy and with a slight lisp. 

The person didn’t even bother looking up, and Sokka shifted his weight angrily. 

“No, but this is just… My seat! I’ve been working here everyday this week, and I’d like to continue working here.”

“But I’m here.” They still didn’t lift their head. 

“I  _ know. _ That's the problem. ”

They looked up then, and suddenly all the fight went out of Sokka’s body, because the boy in front of him was one of the most beautiful people he’d ever seen. His shaggy hair fell around his face in a graceful wolf cut, his brown eyes were flecked with gold, and black snake bites glittered under his bottom lip. 

All Sokka could do was stare. 

The sound of a throat clearing jolted him out of his thoughts, and he promptly realized how much of an asshole he seemed to be, staring at his face like that- the guy had a large pink scar covering his left eye and stretching across his ear and down his neck. He flushed, realizing the stranger thought Sokka was staring at it, when in reality he hadn’t even really noticed. He’d been too focused on his eyes. 

Trying quickly to amend things, he said, “You have really pretty eyes.”

The guy’s mouth dropped open in surprise and his brow wrinkled. “Thank you? I’m still not moving, though.”

Sokka smiled slightly, not even annoyed anymore. Instead, he looked around quickly to see if there was a solution to make him seem like less of an asshole, or something to make it so that he could stick around and get to know this very pretty person. 

His eyes snagged on the extra chair, and he smiled wider. 

“I’m sorry for storming over here like that and demanding you move, that wasn’t fair of me. Let me start over?” The stranger shrugged, so he pushed on. “I’m Sokka, this has been a really tough week, and this is my favorite table to study at. Do you mind if I share it with you?”

He stared at him, blinking slowly, then asked, “Why?”

Sokka faltered, realizing he couldn’t exactly come out swinging with  _ ‘because I think you’re really pretty,’  _ when he didn’t even know the guy's name or if he’d say yes. Instead, he said, “I was a total asshole when I came over. You were just doing your thing and I interrupted you, so I’d like to buy you a cup of tea to make up for it. Who knows, maybe we could be friends, too.”

He was silent for a long time and Sokka shifted, wishing he’d say… Anything. 

“Or not,” he backtracked, hoping he hadn’t offended this beautiful stranger. “I can just fuck off and you can go back to-“

“No!” he interrupted, setting his book down. “No, don’t do that. Sorry, I’m not used to… Nevermind. I just didn’t expect it, is all. But yeah. You can sit down, there’s plenty of room for the both of us. I’m Zuko.”

The name suited him, Sokka thought as he smiled widely, swinging into the chair. “Well, Zuko. It’s good to meet you, even if it wasn’t on the best of terms originally.”

His lips quirked slightly, an oddly charming sight, and he responded, “It's fine, I get it- midterm season always brings out the worst in people. And it’s nice to meet you too, Sokka. You uh… You said it’s been a rough week?”

“Oh, yeah,” he nodded, pulling his flashcards and textbook out of his backpack. “It’s sort of just been piling up. There’s obviously midterms, and then the train I take to campus is down so I have to take a detour, and my sister isn’t feeling well, and then they closed the library… It’s just a lot for one week.”

Zuko grimaced in sympathy. “That’s rough, buddy.”

He laughed, flipping the pages of his textbook slowly, not eager to end the conversation. “Yeah, I suppose it is. It’s what I get for being in BSSU’s STEM program, though.”

“Oh, I’ve heard it’s tough. I wouldn’t know, seeing as I’m a literature and theatre student, but I have a friend in the astrophysics program.”

“I’m in the physics program! I wonder if I know them?” 

Zuko hummed. “You might. Her name is Mai? She’s in her third year, like I am.”

The name brought to mind the picture of a girl with sharp bangs and even sharper eyeliner, usually decked out in black like Zuko was currently- he’d never spoken to her, but he knew she was one of the top students in the physics department. 

“Yeah, I know her! She’s brilliant. She did this project a while ago involving a mobius strip that was one of the coolest things I’ve  _ ever _ seen.”

“I know the one… She tried to explain it to me, but I still use my fingers for math so it all went over my head,” Zuko said with a sideways smile, and Sokka laughed.

“I don’t blame you. Mobius strips are wild things, and I’m pretty sure even my math professor doesn’t understand them.”

Zuko laughed but didn’t say anything else, so with a sideways smile, Sokka turned to his textbooks and began studying. 

They sat in companionable silence, with the occasional conversation when Zuko asked Sokka what he was doing that took up four pieces of paper (an incredibly long, frustrating physics problem) or when Sokka asked Zuko what his favorite type of tea was (jasmine).

After what seemed like no time at all, Zuko closed his book and slid it into the bag next to him. 

“You’re leaving already?” Sokka asked, looking up at him with slightly blurry eyes.

“Well the shop is about to close, so…” he trailed off awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck.

“What? Really?” he looked around, realizing that he and Zuko were very much the last ones there besides Iroh and a few other employees, who were all walking around wiping stuff down and putting the chairs up. “Oh. Wow, I guess so. Space-time flies when you’re with someone with pretty eyes, I guess.”

Sokka immediately wanted to hide under a rock, because… Space-time flies? Really? That was a horrible attempt at flirting, even for him, almost up there with when he asked Yue to  _ ‘do an activity’ _ with him.

Zuko blushed bright red at the compliment but just said, “I think there’s a joke there that I’m not understanding.”

“I swear I’m usually funnier, my brain just feels like mush after this week,” he laughed, zipping everything into his backpack. “Although the part about your eyes was entirely serious.”

“I- Thank you, Sokka. And… Maybe I can find out how funny you are some other time,” Zuko said, apparently without meaning to, because he snapped his jaw shut with a click and turned an even darker shade of red.

Sokka’s heart jumped at the idea of seeing Zuko again and he smiled kindly- they’d barely talked today, but the few short conversations had proved that not only was Zuko  _ very _ attractive, but also someone he really wanted to be friends with (at the very least). And it seemed that maybe Zuko wanted the same.

“I’d like that,” he said genuinely. “I’d really like that.”

~ ~ ~

Sokka didn’t see Zuko for a long time after that, despite continuing to return to the Jasmine Dragon to study. He tried to tell himself he wasn’t that disappointed, but it was hard to convince himself of it when he looked up eagerly everytime the door opened, hoping to see shaggy hair and bright eyes. His friends had taken to teasing him mercilessly about it, texting him every night to ask if he had seen him that day or not.

After a few weeks of this, he was quickly growing tired of their teasing and also giving up on seeing Zuko again after all. He was sure there was an explanation as to why he wasn’t around, but Sokka couldn’t help but explain his absence as being a result of his enthusiasm to see Zuko again. He probably saw how excited Sokka was by the prospect of becoming friends, or figured out that Sokka already had a bit of a crush on him despite how little they’d talked, and got freaked out. He was probably avoiding the tea shop because Sokka was there.

It wasn’t reasonable- Suki and Toph had told him as much, though much more rudely and with a lot of punches to his bicep- but it didn’t stop him from wondering. And it certainly didn’t stop him from staring at the door glumly when he took a break from homework, his chin in his hands as he wished for Zuko to walk through the door.

“You seem down, Sokka,” Iroh said one day as he passed his table while he was doing just that.

He startled as the owner’s voice dragged him from his thoughts, then shrugged. “I’m alright. Just tired.”

Iroh hummed. “Are you waiting for someone?”

Sokka blushed and stammered, “Uh, I mean sort of? Not really, though. Not anyone I’m super close to.”

“It wouldn’t happen to be the young man you shared the table with the other week, would it?”

“I- How did you know that?” he squawked, staring at Iroh in surprise.

The man laughed heartily and patted Sokka’s shoulder. “Us old people have our ways, Sokka. We know everything.”

He thought of Gran Gran’s uncanny ability to know when he and Katara had gotten into trouble, and wasn’t sure why he was surprised. 

“Hm. Well, yeah, it is. I was hoping to see him again, but he hasn’t been here in a while.”

“He’ll be back tomorrow, don’t worry,” Iroh said with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. “Anyways, I’ll let you go back to your work now, I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“Thanks, Iroh,” he called after his retreating back, before shaking his head at the man’s antics and returning to his work.

~ ~ ~

Sure enough, the next day, Zuko was in the same seat as a few weeks ago, an open script across the table in front of him and a pen in his mouth, once again decked out in black and red. He wasn’t sure what magic Iroh possessed to say so confidently that Zuko would be back and then to have it happen, but whatever it was, he was grateful. 

“Zuko!” Sokka greeted enthusiastically, eyes roving over Zuko’s face as the other boy looked up and beamed.

“Hey Sokka. Sorry I disappeared there for a while, we were putting on a show at the theatre troupe I work with.”

Relief flooded his veins, Zuko’s words like a balm over a wound he didn’t know he had.

“Oh! How’d it go?”

“It was good! There were some rough parts during tech week, which is why I stopped coming- I was pretty much stuck at the theatre trying to troubleshoot stuff, and then the show ran for two weeks straight. But the actual performances went really well, and I’m really proud of how everything ended up working out.”

He gave a low whistle of appreciation. “That’s crazy that you were there so much this past week. But I’m glad to hear it went well.”

He thought about saying he’d love to go to the next show, but he held it in, not wanting to scare Zuko away when he just got him back.

“Thanks,” he grinned. “How about your midterms? How’d the physics one go?”

“I aced it,” Sokka said smugly, leaning back in his chair and putting his arms behind his head. “A perfect one hundred.”

“What? Sokka, that’s amazing! Congratulations!” 

He dropped his smug act and shrugged humbly. “I had a good study buddy, what can I say?”

“I’d hardly call myself a study buddy. I just sat there and read and occasionally asked what you were doing.”

“Exactly! You were like my rubber turtleduck- because I was telling you what I was doing when I got stuck, I was able to work through it on my own. Your help was truly invaluable, and I truly believe it wouldn't have happened without you.”

“I guess I’ll take it. Turtleducks are my favorite animal so…”

Sokka couldn’t help but melt at learning that Zuko, with his piercings and black ripped jeans and ratty band shirt, liked turtleducks. It made his heart squeeze fondly, and he found himself craving to learn more about Zuko. 

He wanted to know his favorite color and song, if he liked spicy food or sweets more, why he chose theatre and literature to be his majors, if he put his feet up on the dashboard of a car or stuck his hand out of the window to feel the breeze push through his fingers, what his hopes for the future were, if he had any more piercings beside the ones under his lip or any tattoos… He wanted to know every single thing about Zuko, wanted to know everything he’d tell him. 

He didn’t ask any of that, though. He just said, “I’m really glad you let me sit with you that day, Zuko.”

“I’m glad I let you sit here, too,” Zuko responded, a small smile on his face that told Sokka how sincere he was.

It was… Well, it was really cute, and Sokka made it his mission to make it bloom across Zuko’s face more.

~ ~ ~

After that, Zuko was at the tea shop almost everyday, either to work on homework, hang out with Sokka, or work in the shop- because, as it turned out, Iroh was his uncle. 

(That had been an embarrassing realization, especially because Iroh knew how Sokka felt about his nephew and how eagerly he’d been waiting for his return, which meant Zuko was only a few words away from knowing himself.)

They spent a lot of time together just talking and working on things together, and Sokka found himself steadily crushing on Zuko harder and harder. It was like every single thing he learned about him, every question he got answered about the person Zuko was, made him all the more interesting and made Sokka crush just that much harder.

If before he’d been attracted to Zuko’s looks, now he was attracted to Zuko’s… Everything. He was just so much fun to talk to and so funny and so genuine and beautiful that pretty much every time Sokka talked to him, he became a stammering, flustered fool- probably more so than he’d been with either Yue or Suki, and _definitely_ than he'd ever been with Hahn.

And he was pretty sure that Zuko felt the same, because he didn’t think he had seen Zuko without a blush around him in a long time. Plus there were the lingering touches when Zuko brought him tea, his unwavering smile when Sokka ranted at him about engineering and physics despite the fact that he usually didn’t know what he was talking about, the soft smiles and glittering eyes when they saw each other, the not-so-subtle flirting, the fact that Katara had seen them interact once and immediately asked why Sokka hadn’t asked Zuko out because he clearly liked him… 

Yeah. He was pretty sure.

And so, three months after meeting Zuko, he walked into the Jasmine Dragon after class, determined to ask him out. 

Zuko was behind the counter, his hair pulled back in what could barely be called a ponytail, his bangs falling in front of his eyes, and a white apron thrown over his usual all black. He beamed when he saw Sokka, already grabbing a cup to make him his usual order of peach hibiscus tea. “Hey,” he greeted as he bustled around. “You’re here early.”

“Uh, yeah,” Sokka blushed, knowing it’s because he was practically sprinting, he was so anxious to see Zuko. “There wasn’t a lot of traffic.”

Zuko raised his eyebrow. “Didn’t you walk?”

“Well, yeah… But there can be foot traffic! You’ve seen those sidewalks outside, you know how crowded they can get.”

“Hm. Whatever you say,” he hummed, sliding Sokka his cup. “Do you want one of the cream buns again today?”

“Of course I do,” he grinned, before bouncing on the balls of his feet. “And a cup of jasmine, too?”

“You never get jasmine,” Zuko paused in pulling the bun out to look at Sokka with a furrowed brow. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Hey! That’s not true, I’ve gotten it a few times before. And I’m feeling fine!” 

It was a bit of a white lie, because he felt as though he was vibrating, he was so anxious, but he couldn’t exactly tell Zuko that or he’d know that Sokka was up to something. 

“Yeah, a grand total of twice, and one of those times was for me.”

“I thought your job as the employee was to make my tea,” he gripped playfully. “Not harass me for my order.”

Zuko raised his hands in surrender and continued brewing the tea with familiar, mindless movements. “You’re right, you’re right. That was absolutely my fault.”

Just then, the door to the back and Azula stuck her head out to snap, “Zuzu, stop flirting and come back here really quick. Uncle needs you.”

Zuko’s cheeks turned pink and he shot a glare at his sister, though her words sent a thrill through Sokka. “Just give me a second, alright? I’m just finishing up Sokka’s order.”

She hummed, her dark red lips twisting into a smirk as she slid her gaze to him. “Uh huh. Sokka, stop distracting my brother. He has a job to do.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said with a jaunty salute and a goofy smile, just to see her roll her eyes.

“You’re such a nerd, I don’t know  _ why _ Zuzu likes you.”

“Azula!” Zuko hissed, face steadily growing redder. “Shut up!”

Sokka very much didn’t want her to shut up, and she could clearly tell because she gave him a wink before ducking back through the door without another word.

“I’m so sorry about her,” he winced as he handed Sokka the hot cup of tea and the cream bun.

“It’s fine,” Sokka said warmly, taking care to brush their fingers together as he took them from Zuko. He looked him dead in the eye as he held on and said, “I don’t mind.”

Zuko’s mouth parted slightly, his pupils blown wide, obscuring the honey brown of his eyes. “I…”

“Should go see your uncle?” Sokka finished teasingly, though he was freaking out just as much inside. 

“Right. Yes, I should do that. I’ll… I’ll be right back,” he said, pulling away finally. As he ducked through the door, he looked back over his shoulder at Sokka with something like awe on his face.

Once the door shut and Zuko was gone, Sokka sprung into action. He set down his items, placed his backpack on his counter to pull out a pen, then grabbed a napkin from the counter and scribbled out a note-  _ I think you’re beau-tea-ful and I’d love to make you (jas)mine… Dinner tomorrow at 7? <3 Sokka _

Then, before he could change his mind, he placed the tea cup on the corner of the napkin where he knew Zuko would see it and went to their usual table. He occupied the time it took for Zuko to return by eating his cream bun and sipping his tea, though both were flavorless in his anxious state, and shooting off a text to Katara to tell her he’d done it.

She sent him a thumbs up and a  _ ‘I’m proud of you, Sokka. It’s going to go great, I know it!’ _ in response, and it made him feel a little bit more confident… At least until Zuko walked back through the door.

Sokka quickly pretended to be absorbed in his textbook, but really he was watching him over the edge of it. He walked past it a few times, gaze elsewhere, but Sokka saw the moment he saw the teacup. He paused, setting down the rag he’d been wiping down the counter with, and looked up at Sokka with puzzlement clear on his face. He made no sign he’d seen Zuko’s gaze, and after a few seconds Zuko reached out with trembling hands to pick up the napkin.

With bated breath, Sokka watched Zuko read it, look up at him, read it again, read it once more, then smile brilliantly before he set down the napkin, walked around the counter, and headed straight for Sokka.

“Do you mean this?” he asked breathlessly, stopping across the table from Sokka. “Do you really… You like me?”

Sokka set his textbook down carefully and smiled shyly. “Yeah, Zuko. I really do. I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I’ve never met anyone like you, and no one’s ever made me feel this way before. I really like you, and I really want to take you on a date, if you want.”

Zuko laughed, rocking on his heels excitedly. “Yes, of course I want to go on a date with you, Sokka. I would  _ love _ to.”

His heart exploded with joy, and before he knew it he was on his feet, pulling Zuko into a tight hug. He froze, wondering if he’d crossed a line, but Zuko’s arms came up around him, warm and squeezing just as tight. 

“Good,” Sokka smiled over Zuko’s shoulder. “Those puns would be really embarrassing otherwise.”

“I loved it. It was definitely cheesy, but you’re such a cu-tea that it doesn’t matter.”

Sokka’s jaw dropped, and he pulled away from the hug to see Zuko smirking mischievously at him. “Unbelievable. You’ve been holding out on me! Just you wait, I’m going to have so many puns prepared for tomorrow night, you won’t know what hit you.”

Zuko grabbed his hand and squeezed it, smiling softly. “I can’t wait.”

Sokka looked at Zuko, this beautiful stranger who had become so important to him these past few months, and couldn’t either. 

He squeezed Zuko’s hand right back. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you as always for reading and for leaving comments/kudos, and check out my tumblr! ([@zukosadragon-ace](https://zukosadragon-ace.tumblr.com/))


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